When Tim Cook gave his speech at the European Parliament last year, I wrote an article stating that, given their company’s history, we shouldn’t trust them on this. And very few people agreed with that.

Today I’ve just came across an article from The Atlantic that explains this situation with greater detailed thanks to the (yet another) recent scandal of Facebook paying people ages 13 to 35 to give access to their root network.

I had a talk about this with Randy Fernando and David Jay from the CHT team, when I remarked on the role of tech monopolies and the phenomenon of whitewashing - or ‘greenwashing’ as it is called in environmental terms) - and they had an interesting perspective.

When they make claims - like a Privacy USP in the case of Apple - they also make a commitment, even when the claim was fabricated mostly by their marketing deparment and thus rings hollow.

So whitewashing - while a very bad, unethical thing - allows people to be hold to account personally and in firmer manner than before they made the commitment to improve their ways. If you are being smart and strategical in calling them out and taking them to account, that is. Like a cattle driver you can push them in a corner, and with lotsa public pressure as a weapon to bear.

At the same time - and here I find the most appeal - we should continue to act with disappointment and actively find, create and use alternatives that can hold up to the same kind of promises.

The only danger is that you let yourself believe that they have bettered their business practices, but actually falling for one of their marketing traps. So very important to stay awake at the wheel.